Al's Pals

mrmeadows · Post by **mrmeadows** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 7:48 pm

It was a little uncomfortable, but I'm glad he did it so soon. The audience laughter made things awkward at first, but in their defense the video had only been making the round on the internet that morning, and the show taped in the afternoon, so maybe many of them weren't aware of the situation. They probably thought they were bringing him on to do some kind of "skit" with Jerry and Dave.

Unfortunately, I still think it's over for him. It's hard to bounce back from something like this in the entertainment biz. Mel Gibson is having a tough time of it, and he had the luxury of having the "drunk" excuse and NOT being caught on tape. When you are forever preserved on the internet hurling the "N"-word over and over again in a fit of rage (not as part of a "shock" Carlin-esque comedy routine), that will pretty much put a damper on your getting future work in TV or movies. Probably no comedy club will talk to him now, either.

It's a shame, because he was a talented guy. And while the apology was necessary--and hopefully accepted by most--his performance in that video is going to overshadow his work as Stanley and Kramer in the minds of the public. I'm afraid it's going to be hard to completely shake it off.

Meadows

SwissAlFan · Post by **SwissAlFan** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 7:53 pm

although what he said was really mad, it's not ok distburbing his and the Kramer wikipedia entry....just minutes ago the word Kramer was KKKramer, but i'ts cleared now and this entry protected....as wells as the entry for michael richards...

i'm glad he apologized......

jeannine

sethmartin · Post by **sethmartin** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:02 pm

Ok Ok Ok. Here's Seth's 2 cents...

There is a huge difference between being "Racial" and being "Racist". I've been doing comedy for years in front of audiences. I do a lot of Racial humor. Racial is when you aknowledge race stereotypes and situations and turn it into a manner that is funny and people can relate to. When you tell a black joke or white joke or mexican joke, it's a general observation that everyone can go, "yep I know some people like that." And they know that you're doing comedy, and not to take your jokes as a serious stab. Being Racist is when you say things out of hate and anger or make a direct bash to a particular person.

Part 2- Comedy. Like I said, I've been doing comedy for years. Number one rule, If you can't handle a heckler, DON'T DO COMEDY! No matter how good or bad you are, you're always going to run into a heckler or a disruptive person. Remember the story of Al in the band when they opened for that Metal band in the 80s and were pelted with keys and beer bottles?! What makes the good comics so good is that they can play off things like that, keep their cool and not getting angry. An angry comic = not funny, dead show.

Ok so based on that, Michael Richards who is an awesome physical comedian as apparent in Seinfeld, UHF, and Transylvania 65 Thousand. He obviously does not have what it takes to be a standup. I'm not at all offended or shocked at the fact that he said the word N***er, screw it, it's just a word. Where he lost was he personally stabbed a member of the audience in a personal way and got angry to the point where it was just no longer funny. Then kept it going. RULE # 2, DON'T PISS OFF YOUR AUDIENCE. If people don't like your style or the way you do it, whatever, you can't please everyone. But he angered the people that came to see him! Just because the heckler threw him off and he didn't know how to handle it. The first joke he made about the fork thing, a few people laughed. He should have left it at that and continued. His anger and tirate are not welcomed by audience members in comedy.

Comedians like Carlos Mencia, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle are "Racial". Who knows if they are really racist in real life. But if they are, it isn't apparent in their material.

We'll always have a special place in our hearts for Michael Richards, but the fact of the matter is, HE IS A RACIST. which brings me to RULE #3. DON'T APPOLOGIZE FOR A JOKE! On Letterman, he should have just said, that he thought it was funny and he was sorry if people didn't get the joke. But he didn't do that, he appologized for the joke, going on like Mel Gibson about how he shouldn't have said it. Blah blah blah, shut up. He then went into "I'm not a racist, I'm not a racist" Well Mike and Mel, I'm here to tell you, people who really aren't racist, would never even think to say that.

Ok so for the folks here, I know everyone likes Michael Richards in UHF. And he was really good in that, but never take a personal side with an entertainer just because you liked there performance in something. As if saying "Well he was in a Weird Al movie so he can't be racist or a bad person" These things aren't necessarily true. I liked Braveheart, that doesn't change the fact that Mel Gibson is a dumb racist.

Well there you have it folks. I'll take a break now.

Seth

American Pie · Post by **American Pie** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:28 pm

sethmartin @ Nov 21 2006, 12:02 PM wrote: We'll always have a special place in our hearts for Michael Richards, but the fact of the matter is, HE IS A RACIST. which brings me to RULE #3. DON'T APPOLOGIZE FOR A JOKE! On Letterman, he should have just said, that he thought it was funny and he was sorry if people didn't get the joke. But he didn't do that, he appologized for the joke, going on like Mel Gibson about how he shouldn't have said it. Blah blah blah, shut up. He then went into "I'm not a racist, I'm not a racist" Well Mike and Mel, I'm here to tell you, people who really aren't racist, would never even think to say that.

I assume you do not know Mr. Richards personally, correct?

If so, then you (just like everyone else) have no idea how much his comments were made out of racism or out of his anger at being heckled. Come on now, when were angry we say things to make other people angry even when we may not mean them. I could understand calling him a racist if he just picked some random person out of the audience and started calling them the N word but the fact that he was responding to a heckler changes things a bit.

If you do know him, well just disregard everything Ive said.

Post by **Well, Well, Well** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:33 pm

I must have really missed something...what the hell happened with Mel Gibson?

mrmeadows · Post by **mrmeadows** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:36 pm

I agree with Seth. A lot of people are saying that since black comedians use the "N" word all the time, what's the big deal? Well, even white comedians can get away with using the "N" word, because like Seth said, it's just a word. George Carlin does a whole routine based on this, where he uses the "N" word as part of the joke. And it's funny. He basically says that we don't mind when Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy use the word "because we know they're not racists. . .they're N**s!" The point being that it's not the word itself, but the context. What Richards did was just explode on stage and came off as extremely hateful. There was no comedic or satiric context there. . .just pure anger.

And as Seth says, even the most amateurish comedian should be used to hecklers and know how to handle them. The old "Hey, do I come to where you work and mess with the French fry machine?" (or variations thereof) is usually sufficient. I guess the question is how would Richards have reacted if it were a white guy heckling him? Or a Hispanic? Would he have gone to the race card? A heckler is a heckler, and skin color shouldn't matter. Why did he go straight to the "N" (over and over) and lynching references as a retort?

I too am a huge Seinfeld and UHF fan, and will continue to be. But I can't make excuses for that kind of behavior. The apology was welcome and necessary, and I'm sure he's truly sorry. But there's obviously deeper issues there that he needs to confront (which he alluded to in the apology). I think he will probably need to show with actions, not just words, that he is working to deal with this. (He mentioned a comedy benefit for Katrina victims, but didn't necessarily say he was going to be a part of it. . .I think it would be a good idea.)

Meadows

mrmeadows · Post by **mrmeadows** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:41 pm

American Pie @ Nov 21 2006, 10:28 AM wrote: I could understand calling him a racist if he just picked some random person out of the audience and started calling them the N word

Actually, Don Rickles made a career out of doing that kind of thing. But he did it in a kidding, jokey way and everyone knew that was his schtick. I think Lisa Lamanelli does the same thing nowadays. Again, you can get away with it, but you gotta do it right.

Post by **Well, Well, Well** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:44 pm

mrmeadows @ Nov 21 2006, 12:36 PM wrote: What Richards did was just explode on stage and came off as extremely hateful. There was no comedic or satiric context there. . .just pure anger.

There was no comedic context in what he did because his show was being ruined by the hecklers. Everyone has a breaking point, and different people have different reactions when they reach their breaking point.

Post by **Kevbo1987** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:48 pm

Well, Well, Well @ Nov 21 2006, 01:33 PM wrote: I must have really missing something...what the hell happened with Mel Gibson?

You had to have heard about that, unless you're living under a rock. He got arrested for drunk driving and while he was getting arrested, he started going on about how the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world and all this nonsense.

sethmartin · Post by **sethmartin** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 8:55 pm

Well, Well, Well @ Nov 21 2006, 07:33 PM wrote: I must have really missing something...what the hell happened with Mel Gibson?

Mel Gibson was recently arrested in Malibu when he was driving home drunk from a bar. The cop that pulled him over was Jewish and Mel went into a huge anti semetic rant, kind of the same Michael Richards did, but to a cop. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. You should look it up online, it's pretty messed up.